The World Through My Lens

Monday, 2 January 2017

First Off ... Thank You All so much for being here and my followers for being so Patience with me. With only a Single post for the whole of 2016 is a little too much for some, but I guess most will understand as I am really getting Old and Slow, as the years goes by. Thanks to those who have after all this years followed me through Thick and Thin. Things got even Harder with my eyes failing on me ( Too Much Photography and Astronomy ). I will be having a Cataract operation soon on my Right eye and my left eye in the near future. Besides, the addition of my first Granddaughter is the other reason that I am away from not only my Blog, but my Forums.

As for 2017 ( After my Ops ), I will have to rest for at least a Month or so before I get back into the fray. This year will see a cooling down of my Photographic and Astronomical Activities, so that I can give my eyes a Rest. I will post when my schedules permits me along the way .. Gosh !! Remember , Photography is in My Blood and My Passion , for without it Life will be a shades of Gray ... Ha, Ha.

Time past and 2016 was of No exception, Good and Bad Things happen and the year saw the Demise of many celebrities and brought Changes everywhere. But I will do what I does Best , and that's to record my Rendezvous in The Year That wa 2016.

As for The Year that was 2016, as usual, I will do it in section but not in Chronological order.

As Usual I will start off with my personal Greetings and Best Wishes to all of you who are here. Three pics of My Family celebrations and gatherings for a couple of Happy occasions.

Now for the Newest arrival to our Family ... Baby Audrey. A Blessing that brought Joy and Happiness to us all ... Mamma mia !!

As for my travels, this year I made just one trip and that was to Beijing. It was an overdue trip as I have always wanted to fully visit The old Capital for a long time. This time around it was a 10 days Beijing only Holiday, even though the weather wasn't good most of the time. Here's sharing part of my huge collection on my trip there. I will update more when I have the time.

Now back to the local sides of things. There's no place like home and for me Batu Pahat and Johor is where my Heart is... Ha, Ha. Lets start with my trip to Paloh and my whole purpose of it all, to photograph the only remaining Skilled Cobbler there.

Then after it was Bekok and The Sungai Mati Padi Fields.

This is another set of pics which are so much closer to Home and one filled with Historical Significant to my Home Town of Batu Pahat. Its only when it was about to be demolish, but later Preserved that I decided to go in and have a look and record some pics. Yes folks, its The House of one of our Founding Fathers ... The Late Mr. Tan Swee Hoe . Look how glorious and Beautiful it is even in this state ... Wow !!

It was a year that I went back to The east coast Town of Mersing after more than 10 years. This time around it was my childhood friend Mr. Seah Kok Hwa's invitation as he was opening his second Hotel there . Besides, every room has my pics in it ...Yahooo !! Remember , when in Mersing, do stay in this Peaceful , Rustic and most of all Cozy ... '' Mersing Merlin Inn '' .

And there other reason why you should be here once in a while.

The nearest of them all to my home is of course the Annual Sri Mariaman Temple Festival . Did this a few times in the previous years, but this year Ceremony was the Best of them all ... '' Om Shanti, Shanti ''.

It was also a year that I found some old Black & White negatives in the form of 120 & 135 formats and some Old Pics of Batu Pahat. What a Find !! They belong to my late Elder Brother whose love for Photography was the reason why I am in it Today .

Just like the previous years, a year isn't complete without pics of '' Sunsets ''. For 2017 however, things will be different with my eyes condition. There will definitely be less less and more on the Green sides of things. A mix from the year that was ... Shine On !!

Finally it was a year that I made it into the Papers and Magazines again. This year it was the NST team with their Editor in Chief Intan Maizura Kamal and Three other Writers ( Sulyn Sheffield, Elena Koshy & Zuliantie Dzul ) that were here. What a wonderful team there are and may I add , that this is the team that will Breathe Life into the Paper again. And that coming from a guy who haven't pick upa NST for decades. Some pics of them while here and my pic in the front cover of '' Sunday Plush ''.

Finally to sump up The Year That was 2016, a Mixed of '' The Best of The Rest ''. This are Photos that I feel were My Personal Best from among the thousand taken during the course of the Year. Just relax and enjoy the collection I have for all of you.

Remember, The sun never sets for those who Try ... Cheers!!

Before I part, here's a simple message that I would like to convey to every each one of you who are Here. 2016 took away a lot of celebs and some of my Childhood friends Like Lee Too, George, a few Classmates , my eldest Sister , a Niece and Thousands of casualties of War, Natural Disasters and even Hunger. Always be grateful that you could see the light of the day every morning when you wake up. Be Content, Humble and be Happy with what you have. Spread a little Love and Kindness everywhere you go. Spend time with your Love ones and Friends rather than wasting time on your gadget and Phones. Pick up a couple of good Pastimes and Hobbies and spend some quality time with your families and friends . All these because ... '' Time and Tide waits for No One ''

I would like to Thank all of you have shared and View my Blog post '' The Old Trades of Batu Pahat '' and making it my Highest ever post views, a record 20K plus views. Thank you all and feel free to share whatever picture or post that you like and only email me if you need it for commercial usage. Take care and May you all be Blessed !!Regards ... Uncle James.